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DHC: Grievance and Dispute Policy

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The purpose of this policy is to provide employees with a readily accessible

procedure for addressing any problems or concerns they may have at work.

This procedure should not replace normal employee

manager dialogue.

However, where such informal dialogue has failed to resolve an issue of

concern, then an employee may utilise this procedure in an effort to have an

issue resolved to their satisfaction.

1.1 It is accepted that when people work together there will inevitably be situations

where misunderstandings, problems or concerns need to be resolved. It is the policy

of the Organisation that a culture of good communication, openness and a

willingness to co-operate and listen will exist. Therefore, it is envisaged that the

majority of these issues or misunderstandings will be capable of being addressed

informally in an efficient and effective manner. However, where such issues are

unresolved they may become grievances. Employees are encouraged to seek

resolution of an issue by utilising this procedure.

1.2 At each grievance meeting held under the formal procedure, the employee

has a right to be accompanied by a colleague or a trade union official.

1.3 The grievance procedure should not be used to lodge appeals against

disciplinary sanctions. The Organisation’s disciplinary procedure contains

sufficient mechanism for dealing with an employee’s dissatisfaction at a

disciplinary sanction applied to them.

1.4 The Organisation reserves the right to engage external third-party assistance

at any stage of the grievance process. In addition, the Organisation’s HR

consultant will be present at all formal grievance hearings.

1.5 This procedure does not constitute contractual terms and conditions. The

Organisation reserves the right to amend any provision of this procedure

subsequent to appropriate consultation.

This policy fully incorporates the provisions of the ACAS code.

In order to provide an effective and timely resolution of employee concerns,

the following procedure will be followed to ensure that employee complaints or

problems receive full and careful attention.

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the procedure for disabled

employees. Any employee who experiences difficulty with the procedure for

any reason should seek assistance from the Management Committee (MC).

Employees are encouraged to approach their line manager in the first

instance to discuss issues and attempt to informally resolve them. Informal

discussion can frequently solve problems without the need for a written

record. Employees will receive an outcome within 5 working days.

If an employee is dissatisfied with the outcome, they may invoke the formal

grievance procedure.

2.2.1 The employee should raise the grievance in writing with their line

manager. This should explain the nature and extent of the grievance

and indicate the outcome the employee is looking for.

If the nature of the employee’s grievance is such that the employee

would not feel comfortable raising it with their line manager due to the

proximity in which they work, the employee may enter the procedure

directly at stage two. Stage two can also be used as the starting point

where allegations of bullying or discrimination involve the employee’s

2.2.3 Concerns regarding any matter which would fall within the scope of

legislation on public interest disclosures (otherwise known as

whistleblowing) must be raised through DHC

s Whistle blowing policy.

2.2.4 Under stage one, a meeting will be arranged between the line manager

and the employee. The employee may be accompanied by a fellow

colleague or trade union official. The meeting will be held to discuss the

grievance in detail and the employee should take any documents or

evidence they have regarding the grievance to the meeting.

2.2.5 The line manager will complete a full investigation into the matter. This

may involve holding investigation meetings with witnesses, requiring

witness statements to be produced and reviewing written evidence. A

decision will be taken by the line manager following the investigation

and the grievance will be responded to, in writing, within 5 working

days of the meeting being held. The employee will be informed of

actions to take if they wish to appeal the outcome.

2.2.6 Minutes of the meeting will be taken and copies will be made available

to the employee. A copy of the minutes will be stored securely on the

Organisations Cloud.

The matter will progress to be heard by the Chair of the MC in place of the line

manager, if the employee is not satisfied with the outcome of stage one. The

employee should write to the Chair of the MC setting out the reasons for their

dissatisfaction. Stage two will involve the same procedural steps as stage one, and

the outcome will be provided to the employee within 5 days of the hearing. The

hearing will be held by the Chair of the MC. The employee will be informed of

actions to take if they wish to appeal the outcome.

The matter will progress to be heard by the MC in place of the Chair of the MC if the

employee is not satisfied with the outcome of stage two. The employee should write

to the Secretary of the MC setting out the reasons for their dissatisfaction. Stage

three will involve the same procedural steps as stage two, and the outcome will be

provided to the employee within 5 days of the hearing. The hearing will be held by

There will be no further appeal after stage three. The

decision on the

grievance will be final.

The Organisation will make a decision on how to progress matters when an

employee raises a grievance about a disciplinary procedure involving them. Acas

guidance suggests that disciplinary hearings may be suspended for a short

duration while the grievance is investigated. The Organisation will assess the exact

nature of the grievance and will have the final say over suspension of a disciplinary

The timescales outlined in this procedure will be adhered to whenever this is

reasonably practicable. There may be extenuating circumstances that are

of either parties’ control, for example, where a key witness is

the grievance requires extensive investigation.

Where it is not reasonably practicable to adhere to the deadlines, both parties

will discuss and agree any extension to the timelines.

The Organisation reserves the right to seek assistance from external

mediators at any stage in the grievance procedure. Where both parties agree

to undertake mediation, the grievance process will be suspended whilst this is

Nothing in this procedure is intended to prevent the employee from raising

any concerns they have. Employees who raise concerns under this procedure

will not be subject to any detrimental or less favourable treatment as a result

Where the grievance is made with malicious intent, the employee will be

subject to the Organisation’s disciplinary procedure.

Should a grievance be raised by an employee leaving the Organisation,

where possible the grievance procedure will be concluded whilst they remain

in employment. If it is not possible to conclude the process prior to their exit

from the business, then it may be necessary to modify the procedure to

7.1 Should an ex-employee raise a grievance under this procedure, the

Organisation reserves the right to modify the procedure outlined above. This

includes, but is not limited to, providing a written response.

The management committee is responsible for ensuring that this policy is

reviewed annually to ensure continued relevance and good practice. Updates

and amendments may be proposed, considered and approved via an SGM.